Rational Insanity
Ten life(or piece?)-saving tips for writers
Writing is one of the most elusive of professions/hobbies/art-forms one could come face to face with. While there are a numerous forms of the craft, the rules are usually the same. Regardless of what writers write or how writers write, there are certain basic premises that should be followed. As is with any other activity, writing also thrives on the precept, "practice makes perfect.” Writing can get someone anywhere from being the most hated journalist on the face of the earth to the most read fictionist to the most loved poet. The rewards of writing and a sincere dedication to the craft are beyond its material benefits. Getting rich from writing is a something only a very few dedicated writers have achieved. However, despite the limitations in the rewards achieved from writing; these mostly limited to the realm of intangible, immaterial, and emotional satisfaction, there are still young souls who look to writing as the craft of choice. It is difficult to tune into a writer's frequencies of satiability, but it is also very comforting to know that the few who have found a writer's heart within themselves have worked hard to move on and explore the art more fully. It is this quality of writers, young and old, aspiring and fulfilled alike that made me decide to offer the following tips for those who might want to explore the craft more deeply. These tips worked for me, and I do hope they work for all of you guys. Some of these tips I learned from senior mentors and casual associations, but for me, they all seem to work pretty well.
1. Master your medium. This means being quite comfortable with the language you would like to wok with, whether it be your own regional language or some other foreign language. Work within the limitations of your medium and no less than be an expert in it.
2. Listen to your work. Sometimes it helps to read your pieces aloud and experience what would expectedly be the emotions that run through your readers first hand.
3. Revise and rewrite as much as needed. There is nothing wrong with changing your mind especially when you want to write about earth-shattering events and extreme human experiences. The more the written pieces are tailored to perfection the more they get their messages across.
4. Always single out the best word to use when expressing something. There are many synonyms for each word and knowing which form of the word to use usually results in a more accurate and more comprehensible piece.
5. Have someone look at your work. While our egos can usually take blows from knowing that THERE ARE mistakes in our work, no matter how perfect they are (I remember one of my senior mentors saying that he actually noticed a grammatical error in one of the 1st Prize Palanca Winning Poems of a certain writer), these things could always be worked out and we usually learn something new and useful from the experience.
6. Consider suggestions on substance. Most of the time, when we ask people to read our work; we should pay attention to how they react to our piece. While we have to self-contain our work and not be overly affected with what other people say, an undesirable reaction from a reader/audience usually indicates there is something wrong with what we have written.
7. Read voraciously. I remember another senior mentor's words to a fellow writer (?) who claimed that she did not have time to read, "If you have no time to read, then you have no place as a writer.”
8. Develop your own style "do not be another Jessica Saffra or Winnie Monsod. Try and have your signature stamped on your pieces, whether it be in a short parting statement or your choice of subjects.
9. Pour your heart out. There is no use hiding your feelings when you are a writer. Lying about what you feel and think in your pieces will only result to a very badly written piece.
10. Finally, don't spread yourself out on a page. The danger of the demand of having to pour your heart out is over-pouring it. Know when to stop.
There your are, guys. I truly hope younger writers would find these tips useful.
Be rational; be insane…every once in a while!!TTFN!
Hello to my dearest readers, to Vanessa, to Lea, Jenny, Am-am, Dot, Verona, James, Sheen, Hellpen, Anne, Mary Dale, Chan,Michelle, Zarthus, Jonald, Mr. Bobot, Vic, Vincent, and Rex, Alex, Arvin, Corz, Jim, Kiara, Malikh, Audrae, Franz, Hendrick, Janice, Jay, Jim, Jonathan, Mark, Marz, Mel, Pres, Nhonoy,Niel, Piper, Rheavil, Joey, Alma, Rodolfo, Ecker, Ryan, Roni, Ian, Narle, Sunny and to Anuj of CMC, I love you all! Byers! Salamat gid sa mga walang-hintong text and reactions nyo! Catch Rational Insanity in TNT's online edition, check us out at www.thenewstoday.info, text me at (0920)9254269, or email me at prague@eudoramail.com. Byers! Mmmmmmmwah!